STORYSTORM 2018 Day 26: Jeanette Bradley Invites You to Tea

Where do ideas come from? Why, from caffeine of course! And books. Books and caffeine are the best combination. Join me for a virtual cup of tea while I read to you from some picture books that have deep insights into the creative process.

“Toad put his head very close to the ground and shouted. ‘NOW SEEDS, START GROWING!’ Frog came running up the path.‘What’s all this noise?’ he asked.‘My seeds will not grow,’ said Toad.‘You are shouting too much,’ said Frog. ‘These poor seeds are afraid to grow.'”

~ Arnold Lobel, FROG AND TOAD TOGETHER

Story ideas are seeds. They are scared of loud noises. They don’t like being told they aren’t good enough to write down, or they are too much like another idea. They tend to flee when criticized, and they take their friends with them.

Don’t scare off your ideas by holding out unrealistic standards. (“You must be polished and ready to publish!” or “You must be absolutely unique!”) Let your ideas grow at their own pace. Treat them all as worthy of being jotted into your notebook, or on the back of receipt, or typed into your phone. Remember they are just seeds, and they might arrive as a single word, or an incomplete image. They will grow.

In Henkes’ Caldecott-winning title, Kitten tries, and tries, and tries to drink the big bowl of milk in the sky, and fails miserably.

“So, she went back home—and there was a great big bowl of milk on the porch, just waiting for her.”

~ Kevin Henkes, KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON

Inspiration can be elusive. If we chase after it, we often fail to catch it. But then, when we’ve exhausted every effort, an idea will be sitting on the porch, just waiting for us. Sometimes the best ideas come when you are sitting in traffic, or shoveling the driveway, or generally not looking for them.

Still stuck? Have a cup of tea with a friend. (Or whatever it is that you like to drink—beer, moonlight, tears of your enemies are all acceptable.)

“Susan liked Fredrick’s ideas, and he liked hers.”

~ Dean Robbins, TWO FRIENDS

Sometimes it’s a simple as that, my friends. Share your ideas. You will both come away with more than you started with, just like Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass do when they share tea and thoughts, in this beautiful book.

“Every tiny atom in your body came from a star that exploded long before you were born.”

~ Elin Kelsey. YOU ARE STARDUST

Finally, a reminder: It is amazing and magical to be alive and reading blog posts and brainstorming story ideas. Tap into your stardust magic. Pause as you are taking out the trash to look at the sky. Go for a walk in the woods. Take a minute right now and hold your hand up to a sun and watch photons streaming through your fingers from space.

This is also a reminder to not take yourself or your ideas too seriously. You are but a bit of leftover star swirling in a minor galaxy in an expanding universe. No one cares if that idea you just had is stupid, and you shouldn’t either. Write it down.

No one cares if you don’t have an idea right now, and you shouldn’t either. Take a nap or go for a walk. Your ideas will grow while you aren’t paying attention.

When you come back, they may be sitting on the porch.

Jeanette Bradley has been an urban planner, an apprentice pastry chef, and the artist-in-residence for a traveling art museum on a train. Her debut picture book LOVE, MAMA was published by Roaring Brook Press in January 2018. It contains no cities, pastries, or trains, but was made with lots of love. She currently lives in Rhode Island with her wife and kids. Find her online at: JeanetteBradley.com, on Twitter @jeanettebradley, and on Instagram @jea_bradley.

Jeanette is giving away a copy of LOVE, MAMA.

Leave ONE COMMENT on this blog post to enter. You are eligible to win if you are a registered Storystorm participant and you have commented once below. Prizes will be given away at the conclusion of the event.

Jeanette, I love this entire post, but the ending…love, love, love! A great reminder to be kind to ourselves just as we would be kind to others. I think I’ll go pour myself another cup of coffee! Thanks for posting!

Hi Jeanette, Your post is beautiful! Every image speaks to me. Partly this is because you handle words like an instrument that sings. I have a book so don’t put me in the drawing. I just wanted you to know how much your words meant to me – seeds, friends, and star dust. Thank you!

The quoted lines from Frog and Toad made me smile. That was one of our favorites. “NOW SEEDS, START GROWING!” So silly. I love how you took that line and made our story ideas into little seeds that sprout and change until fully grown. Very nice.

I can attest to the fact that ideas come to you while shoveling the driveway. I’m currently working on a ms that started as an idea I had shoveling snow. 🙂 Also, thanks for showing us picture books can teach picture book writers valuable lessons. May we never lose sight of that!

It is true. Ideas breed other ideas. You have to have the “bad” ideas to understand the good ideas. I like to think of them as fruit. You can pick them early and let them ripen, but they aren’t ready to eat yet. Others can seem good, but with time they turn to mush. You simply watch them and wait. Is this idea ripe yet or has this one gone bad?

Jeannette says, “Story ideas are like seeds,” among other things. How appropriate that today, I discover my Storystorm idea in a seed catalogue !
Thanks for this post and indeed, ideas can be hiding everywhere.

Great post! I ‘m going to “check my porch” for some Ideas that may have been eluding me !!! And you mentioned two of my favorite authors ..Lobel and Henkes, my first graders loved Frog and Toad!!! Thank you, Thank you!!! 🙂

This is a beautiful reminder, so encouraging. Not every idea is a ‘good’ idea, but they are all worth acknowledgment. Also… I do drink tea, beer, moonlight, and tears of my enemies. I’m glad to hear that’s cool with you, ha!

Thanks for the teatime Jeanette, and I’ll keep checking the porch! “Love Mama” looks adorable. I’m a huge valentines fan and am intrigued just by the art conveying the emotion of holding onto a special heart–whether literally or symbolically. Can’t wait to read it!

While reading your post, I was reminded of the story of a man who went out into the world searching for a treasure, only to find out years later it was in his own backyard. Although story ideas can be found anywhere, the first place to look should be within ourselves and our surroundings. Thanks for sharing.

All such encouraging ideas! Giving my ideas time and space to grow…not shouting at them! Talking with a friend ( or my grandchildren:). It’s encouraging to be reminded that living life with intention can generate great ideas.

I enjoyed your post hugely, Jeanette. Your wisdom, humor, and quotes from wonderful books were a great way to start my day. Now if my ideas are out on the porch waiting for me…
They are freezing and I’d better bring them in!

Such a great post! Love how you connected so many things – because, isn’t that what we’re doing? Stephen King talks about keeping notes of ideas taped to his printer. Sometimes they stay there for awhile. Thanks, Jeanette!

LOVE THIS —> “Story ideas are seeds. They are scared of loud noises. They don’t like being told they aren’t good enough to write down, or they are too much like another idea. They tend to flee when criticized, and they take their friends with them.

Don’t scare off your ideas by holding out unrealistic standards. (“You must be polished and ready to publish!” or “You must be absolutely unique!”) Let your ideas grow at their own pace.”

Side note: Thank you for introducing me to Soyeon Kim’s illustration work! (You Are Stardust).

“Your ideas will grow while you aren’t paying attention. When you come back, they may be sitting on the porch.” A loving reminder for self-kindness. Thank you for this post, Jeanette. Congratulations on LOVE, MAMA

To stardust magic, to inspired friends to encouraging that seed with friendly, kind words one at a time and to always having an abundance of cream with that cup of coffee. Today I will gaze beyond…and let my pen flow…

Thanks for this lovely post, Jeanette. I find picture books, titles, and illustrations endlessly inspiring. Whenever time allows, I try to spend a full morning browsing library and bookstore shelves for inspiration.

Wow, Jeanette! When lines from children’s books can capture how to be kind and patient towards your ideas AND your process you know it’s time to trust. I really appreciate the golden nuggets you shared here. Can’t wait to read Love, Mama. What a tender cover your book has! Thank you. I wish you all the best in your future writing projects.

Thank you for your inspiration. I really enjoyed your post. My biggest take-away was “Let your ideas grow at their own pace. Treat them all as worthy of being jotted…”
I’m still a newb at this, but I definitely find myself ignoring the incomplete thoughts and chasing the more fully formed ones. Your post helps encourage us to give all ideas opportunity. Thanks again!

Great post, Jeanette. I’ll have to take more walks in the woods or just in my own neighborhood. I’ll have to keep my eyes and ears open for more ideas, or maybe one will be waiting on my front porch when I get back.

Thank you to you and the others for your insight. I often turn away ideas, without even trying for the reasons you stated. Since this adventure began, I have been making notes, copying videos that spark an idea, finding ways to revamp my manuscripts. I have almost filled my calendar with ideas. It’s been exciting. The most I’ve ever done. Thank you.

Thank you everyone for your encouraging words, nuggets of writing wisdom & funny comments. I wish I could respond to every one of you individually! I’m at a conference right now & stealing a couple of minutes to check in. I’m glad my post resonated with so many of you! (Dead mice on the porch aside 😂)

Thanks for your poignant thoughts and validation! As a writer, we can feel small and vulnerable, just like your analogy. But today, I choose to be a mustard seed, growing and nourishing and producing great craft!
Congrats on Love, Mama!

Those are some of my favorite books right there! I grew up on Frog & Toad and other Lobel books. I need to re-read them. My girls want me to take them ice skating this evening. Maybe a book idea will come from that!

I love how you pulled such inspirational concepts from such wonderful picture books. I’ll have to be a lot more observant as I read! I also tend to judge my ideas as you say toward the end of the post. Each idea has a life of its own and as such is valuable. Thanks! Susan Swan

“Your ideas will grow while you aren’t paying attention.” Thank you, Jeanette, for reminding us to give ourselves a break. Time away doing other things are often the times of discovery. Congrats on your new book! I look forward to reading it.

Thanks Jeanette for a fabulous post! I grew up in RI so I saw a great article about your new book when my mom sent it to me here in Rochester! Small world!
Congratulations and all the best with LOVE MAMA.

Thank you, Jeanette! All of the StoryStorm posts have been wonderful, but this may be my favorite. I love the reminder not to overthink things because we’re just stardust and that wherever we are in our process, that’s okay!

Great post, Jeanette!! I loved when you said, “Inspiration can be elusive. If we chase after it, we often fail to catch it.” And just when you least expect it… BANG…there it is in all its splendor waiting for you to unwrap it

I TRULY ADORED having tea with you, Jeanette, Frog and Toad, and all the others! I LOVE how you crafted this post–so warm and so inviting! And I LOVE the inspiration from the kind of books we children’s authors are trying to write! TRUE WISDOM!!!! The tea was LOVERLY, but I think I will go with “tears of [my] enemies” next time, per your suggestion. 🙂

Thanks Jeanette for so much inspiration! I always find ideas in the simpliest places as well…I am curious however about a part of your bio that states that you were an artist in residence for a traveling art museum on a train….I’d love to hear this story!!!

Thanks for the great advice! I especially like the reminder not to shout at my seeds like Toad–although it may have hit too close to home. LOVE, MAMA looks adorable–can’t wait to read it. I also need to check out TWO FRIENDS.

I started the practice of writing down any ideas that came to me a few years ago. It was hard, at first, to quiet the inner critic who told me to not bother writing down some ideas that might not be very good. But now I have learned that even the lamest of ideas might have even a tiny kernel that could be used in a story. Thanks for the reminder! And LOVE, MAMA is a sweet book! I just read it last week.

Jeanette, what a beautifully written and validating piece! I’m happy to say I read it by my fire, with an Earl Grey in hand, and an empty seat beside me where I imagined we finally got got to have a chat in person!

Loved your kid-lit focused post…now must carry around empty jar to catch tears of my enemies and buy much larger purse. Thanks!
No really, I loved that the proof is in the puddin’…how and what to write can be found and lost and found again in literature and life.

Loved your post, Jeanette. It’s so true…we need to share our ideas – I have several in person critique groups and love to get together over a cup of hot chocolate…brainstorming with friends is the best! And may I say that I LOVE our head-shot photo…you are glowing!

Jeanette, I’m planting my seeds in a big milk bowl, sprinkling them with magic stardust, and then sitting on my front with a huge cup of coffee while soaking up inspiration from Momma Nature!❤️
Fabulous, inspiring post💫🌟
Thank you!

Jeanette, I am planting my seeds in a big milk bowl, sprinkling them with stardust, sitting them on the front porch, while drinking a huge cup of coffee soaking up Momma Nature!
Thank you for the inspiring post!💫🌟

Jeanette,
“Don’t scare off your ideas by holding out unrealistic standards. (“You must be polished and ready to publish!” or “You must be absolutely unique!”) Let your ideas grow at their own pace.”
These words are EXACTLY what I needed to hear. Thank you X a million. ❤️

Drinking the tears of your enemies, so funny. Seriously though what I loved and connected with is the concept that an idea doesn’t need to be big, fully formed or even feel worthy to write down. No matter how small it is it could still be the start of something. Thank you for the reminder.

Hooray Jeanette! I’m so excited to read Love, Mama (my library copy is waiting for me now!) and your inspiration tips are excellent. Now as soon as I catch up on Storystorm posts, I’m going to go for a good long walk and see what happens.

GREAT post, Jeanette! I had to stop reading it twice to write down some ideas. May take a walk this afternoon (it’s warmer outside than inside today, sez my hubby!), and will look for more on the porch when I return. 😉 See you in March at the Carle!

It is so true that ideas and ways to resolve problems in my writing come when I don’t expect them to. I had an idea as I was chopping tomatoes last week. I don’t know if it will end up as a book but I hope so, I’m just waiting for the seed to grow :o)

“You are but a bit of leftover star swirling in a minor galaxy in an expanding universe. No one cares if that idea you just had is stupid, and you shouldn’t either.” – Jeanette Bradley My favorite thing today.

I love the visual I got when reading the part about handling story ideas with care, not loudly, not rushed. Then a story idea popped into my head where the story ideas were little beings……………….ooooooooo yeah….

Thank you for this post! After reading it, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders that I didn’t even realize was sitting there. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and felt better. Having the opportunity to think about writing, to read about writing, and to play with story ideas is a gift in and of itself. Thanks for the reminder and the helpful tips!

Congratulations, Jeanette on your book!!. I love to write with a cup of tea beside me. In this case ideas from tea and books. Thank you for the advice of not taking oneself seriously and that inspiration can be illusive when chased, but comes with taking the moment. I like the seed analogies.
(Naana)

I love your book and I agree that ideas, are wispy creatures. They can’t be forced or commanded. They love coming at the darndest times; usually when they are least expected. Thanks for the great post.

I love this post! Thank you! The connection to books is fabulous. What connected with me most was the Frog and Toad quote. I’m so excited I got 30 ideas this Story Storm. And you hit on the head why I haven’t in the past. I put too much pressure on the ideas. Now to turn them into books. Thanks for the inspiration!

Your post caused me to write down 3 ideas that have been swimming in my thoughts for a while now. I kept thinking of them but I didn’t have storylines. Tonight I’m just letting them sit in my notebook. They may never become stories but at least they are written down. Thank you, Jeanette!

I believe I am too late but just in case I wanted to say:
I HAVE to write that down at my desk. “They tend to flee when criticized.” Also, I am going to be more open to writing down even just the single word idea and see how it grows from there. Thank you for this!